Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

themadvix

It sounds like you're doing well at this challenge then! And great that you've instilled a love of CS shopping in your daughter

I have heard of Project 33 but I should be so lucky to have as many as 33 items per season!

themadvix

Morning all,

Early start this morning as DH needed to be at the station for 6.30 as he has a meeting in Wales this morning. At least going by train means he'll be home tonight.

DH did get the roof finished yesterday and we got all the bits (well not all, I've just remembered something that didn't make it!) on Ebay. And I won the coat I was bidding on! (I don't remember the last time I won something on an auction listing on ebay!) £10 inc. P&P for a barely worn Fat Face coat that I've admired in the shop - I am looking forward to it arriving!

The family met up at my Nan's house yesterday for a bit of a clearing session/chance to take anything of sentimental value. I brought home a couple of bits (sadly there's very little that I'd like (or anyone else) - it's all sentimental for the sake that it's Nan's and belongs in her house, but it's not to my taste), but this included some more apples from the tree and a staple gun! I got back to discover a marrow on the doorstep, left by a freecycler who had collected something I love the bounty of this time of year

My day today involves work, posting many items and then going to see Nan with Mum and Niece.

Gratitudes:
* Lovely nostalgic time with family yesterday
* Free food!
* A furry ginger beast warming my lap (and impeding my typing) at this minute - it's definitely turning cooler!

Karmacat

That's a good weekend and how nice that the family turned up all together to choose their sentimental pieces.



I hope DH gets back in good time tonight.

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks Karma - yes, DH was back as scheduled.

I'm working on an urgent project for a client today. Fortunately, as usual, I've overestimated how long it'll take me, so I've got a bit of breathing space. I've just had a delicious fish biriyani for lunch courtesy of our generous neighbour (she brought it over last night just as I'd dished up dinner!).

Got to pop out in a bit to drop off a parcel - another ebay sale! And my coat has been dispatched - I'm far too excited about this!

Evening class starts again tonight, so I've done my homework... not last minute *at all*

MS things:
* Clicks etc. inc Swago
* TCB payout (£2.26) on its way and DH qualified for a bonus £3 on some train tickets he bought yesterday for work.
* Neighbour also brought round some cooked kidneys for the cats (yuck!). As we've run out of chicken and I'm too busy to get it today, this and an emergency pouch are doing an excellent job of keeping them fed.

Gratitudes:
* My sit/stand desk - I've been up and down today!
* A better night's sleep
* Lots of work - I know it'll be worth it

Have a good afternoon!

themadvix

Morning all,

Got my urgent project done in record time, for which the client has rewarded me with more work Lots of other bits ticking over too - I'm really so grateful to be busy after last year where it was just one long, stressy hope that more work would turn up soon.

DH is at yet another conference type thing today, but close to home and expecting to WFH this afternoon as the PM programme looks irrelevant. :T As I got in before him after evening class last night, it will be good to spend some time at the same lat/long, even if we're both working!

Neighbour brought round 'lunch' for me yesterday (after the biriyani), so that became dinner - my meal plan is completely shot now. Think we need to have marrow/courgette tonight, as it's decorating the kitchen worktop (from freecycler).

Have made my first investment with new VG ISA. It seemed slightly more restrictive than I expected - I couldn't find the SRI (social responsibility index) fund I wanted to try, so I'll have to enquire about that. It may be I need to invest more than £100 at a time in it. For the moment the money has gone into LS80.

I've re-requested my tax rebate from HMRC. I did this a couple of weeks ago, it all seemed okay, the money had been deducted from my account but hadn't shown up in my bank account. When it still hadn't today, I logged in and it had been re-added to my tax account! So here's hoping it works this time. It's a terrible system. And I want *my* money so I can put it in my pension!

Another rant, sorry: Ryanair have now unchanged their policy (flights in Dec, booked in Aug) - I think it will affect us.... so need to work out if they've refunded us for the priority blah blah we've paid for because they made us and if not sort that out! Aaaargh!

MS things:
* Swago and spins, about 60SBs yesterday (a good day for me)
* Clicks etc.
* £10 Sains voucher from e-rwards courtesy of DH - I think he's shutting the account down now though
* Free meals yesterday.... ridiculously so
* Bids on high-value ebay items :T

Gratitudes:
* Good evening class - new guy seems normal (they're not always!)
* Lots of work
* An afternoon/evening with DH - time to go for a walk as well as get housework done

Have a good afternoon all!

Karmacat

That post summarises why this stuff takes so long - when you arrange something, you *so* often need to follow up on it - VG, HMRC and Ryanair! Good for you for keeping on top of it.

themadvix

Haha, KC, I don't think I am on top of it - just aware that it needs to be kept on top of! And also, it's an easy way to kid myself that I'm doing important stuff when I get distracted from work! But it's very true - nothing is simple these days (was it ever?).

I have found some yummy looking marrow recipes to try out - that's dinner tonight sorted!

themadvix

Morning all,

We had marrow gratin for dinner last night - it was lovely. I didn't have orzo, so used normal pasta and some mixed herbs instead of the fresh. The halloumi made it though (quick trip to Sains using the giftcard to pay ). There's a little bit left for me for lunch (the gratin, there's loads of halloumi left) and still half a marrow. Might try a version of this to use it up. (Will use JO's masala paste recipe though as I know we'll have the ingredients for it.)

The cats' chicken is cooked up for the next 7/8 weeks. Sent a bit over to the neighbour as she'd sent us the kidneys. She' turned up a few minutes later with a huge half bunch of coriander. Must freeze that today. The price of the chicken had gone up another £5 since July. I think we may be investigating Costco - it's free range, so more expensive, but I'd prefer that to increasingly expensive non-free range. It's something that really grates, but there are limits to everything.

It's lovely weather here this morning so I've got washing on, hoping it will dry on the line. More urgent work has arrived (it's definitely September!), so I'm cracking on with that this morning, and hopefully will be able to pop out later - need to get wedding gift for next week and would like a trawl of the CS in the same town.

DH away with work again tonight, so no food required for him and I'm going to have something out of the freezer.

Gratitudes:
* Sunshine - it's amazing how it lifts my mood
* Free marrow and a good recipe for future marrow events
* Plenty of work

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

It's been a busy few days. I've been reading diary updates, but haven't had time to post. Am pleased to say that we had a really productive weekend which means I am feeling a lot less stressed than I have been. Our ebay listings ended last night, netting over £100, so I've got to pop to the PO this morning and the Hermes drop-off point (as well as two lots of RM posting!). Really pleased with this result.

Had our neighbour over for dinner on Saturday, which was nice. She turned up with a tray full of planted herbs - some she'd grown and some from the supermarket, as well as two pouches of cat food for the boys! She's such a generous lady!

We'll be having the marrow gratin again tonight to use it up as we're away from Wednesday. I need to get some bits for that and a bottle of Scotch for FIL as a thank you for helping us with the roof - he really put in a whole day's labour!

Not sure if I mentioned, but our ebay bargains arrived and we're both very happy with them, so will be keeping a closer eye on ebay for lightly used clothes we know will fit us. :T

Gratitudes:
* Lovely evening with neighbour (and she didn't stay too late - she chats.... we were a bit worried we'd struggle to get her out of the house! :rotfl: )
* Tomatoes and chillis ripening at last
* Two-day working week this week! :j

Work continues apace though, so I'd better get back to it. Will try to catch up on diaries later!

themadvix

Morning all,

It's been a hectic week. We had a nice day out at the safari park on Wednesday (windy, but blissfully quiet ), but broke down on the way home - it took 3 hours for the recovery vehicle to arrive DH think he knows what the problem is and has the part, so will try swapping that over later in the week. We then had a family wedding to go to and I think the least said about that, the better. Suffice to say the venue was not somewhere I would pay money for. Attended the christening of a friend's baby yesterday which was a much more enjoyable affair... sometimes its very true that you can choose your friends but not your family.

Back to normal now though, thank goodness, and the washing is on the line in the sunshine. DH is away tonight and tomorrow with work, but he'll leave me the (one remaining) car! I still seem to have plenty of work to be getting on with, which is good.

Still catching up on everything, but have managed to do my daily clicks etc. this morning. Surviving on the food we've got until a veg box comes on Wednesday - that will increase our options somewhat!

Gratitudes (I need these):
* A lovely visit to Woolsthorpe Manor (Newton's birthplace and where he made his scientific discoveries) on the way on Thursday - absolutely fascinating, would definitely recommend
* Some good cooked breakfasts while we were away (thanks S&S)
* A lovely day yesterday at the christening

Back to work now!